


Drastic Times, Drastic Measures

by Star_Going_Supernova



Series: how Maddie acquired a second dad [4]
Category: Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019)
Genre: And a little bit of, Dadzilla, Fluff, Gen, Momthra, Post-Godzilla: King of The Monsters (2019), Quarantine with a Twist, mentions of worldwide pandemic and associated deaths (not graphic), wonder where that inspiration came from
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-21
Updated: 2020-05-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24312646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Star_Going_Supernova/pseuds/Star_Going_Supernova
Summary: Turns out, quarantine works a lot differently when you've got a set of Titan parents who can take you in for a couple weeks. Maddie's certainly not complaining.(Or, Godzilla's protected her from nightmares and kidnappers, why not add a pandemic to the list?)
Relationships: Godzilla (Legendary | MonsterVerse) & Madison Russell, Madison Russell & Mark Russell, Mothra & Madison Russell
Series: how Maddie acquired a second dad [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1542760
Comments: 21
Kudos: 129





	Drastic Times, Drastic Measures

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this idea in my head since I first started seeing quarantine fics, and I suddenly got the hankering to write it a little while ago, so here we are. Topical issues aside, I really did enjoy the underlying concept here. I even managed to mix in a tumblr anon’s ask about Mothra having a garden! 
> 
> Hope y'all enjoy!

When Maddie was sixteen, the world began to fall apart. She had no idea.

She and a small crew were in the middle of the ocean, living for several weeks on a research ship investigating some rumors of possible Titan activity in the area. Officially, she was there as an intern. Unofficially, it was just an excuse so she could go without anyone getting all up in arms about it.

The ship wasn’t entirely isolated from the rest of the world, but communication was just difficult enough that only truly important information was being passed back and forth.

Later, she’d feel a little bewildered that this apparently hadn’t counted.

When their expedition wrapped up, they followed through with their long-established plan of heading to the nearest coastal city before beginning the longer journey to return home. Most of the crew left the ship to restock on supplies or to stretch their legs.

Maddie and a married couple stayed back. Having an actual cell signal for the first time in almost weeks, she was quick to call her dad.

He was the one who told her.

No one was sure where the illness had originated, not when it took them so long to realize all the disparate cases were one and the same. Extremely contagious, the illness mutated within its carrier, so as soon as treatment began working, some infinitesimal aspect of it changed, returning them to square one.

Deaths were climbing. It almost always presented first as a cold, and no one thought anything going out and about, touching anything and everything, when they only had a bit of a sniffle. By the time people started catching on, the number of likely carriers of the illness was in the hundreds of thousands.

That was two weeks ago. It had only gotten worse since then.

There was a morbid joke to be made about not needing Titans to halve the human population after all, as humanity’s initial dismissal and subsequent state of unreadiness for the sheer magnitude of the illness was doing it for them. Humanity was always going to be its own destruction.

The people who left the ship were unknowingly exposing themselves. Maddie and the two who stayed would then potentially be exposed when they returned. Quarantine efforts were in effect, but no system was perfect. Travel was already limited, so they might even face trouble returning to the US.

Worse yet, she couldn’t even go home. Someone who worked at the same Monarch facility as her dad had been exposed by a family member, and since they had since been confirmed to have it, everyone from that facility was being treated as if they had it themselves. Cases were already popping up.

“What do we do?” Maddie asked. By then, she had gathered the others who remained behind, Carly and Hope Porter. They sat across from her at a small table, their hands clasped together.

“It’d be stupid to risk exposing any of you,” her dad said. “Of anyone on the planet, right now, the three of you are the only ones probably guaranteed right now to be safe.”

“The other members of our crew, though…” Dr. Carly trailed off. “If it’s as contagious as you say—”

“Don’t let them back aboard, if they’re allowed to come back at all.”

Dr. Hope frowned. “They’ll be detained?”

Maddie could practically hear her dad shrug as he said, “Maybe. Some places are being really strict, others not so much.” There was muffled talking on his side of the connection for a few seconds before he continued, “I’m gonna see if we can find a way to fly you guys back stateside. How are you doing on supplies?”

“If it’s only the three of us, we have enough for over a week, longer if we’re really careful,” Maddie told him. She listened to plans being made, but couldn’t bring herself to pay attention.

Her dad might be sick. Her dad might be sick with an illness that didn’t have a cure, but did have a rising death rate. If he—if she lost him, she’d be alone.

She only refocused when Dr. Carly patted her on the shoulder with a sorrowful look in her eyes as she and Dr. Hope left the room.

“Maddie?”

“Dad,” she said, feeling twelve all over again, facing the end of the world.

“Don’t worry about me, kiddo. I’m just—” He cut himself off, and a faint dragging sound—his hand over his face?—overlapped with a muttered curse. “You have no idea how grateful I am you were so far away when all this was starting. This illness is wreaking havoc on healthy people’s immune systems, never mind those with existing conditions.”

Maddie didn’t have a _bad_ immune system, exactly. It was what the doctors were calling _in flux._ Apparently, repeated frequent exposure to Titans’ radiation could do that. Some days, she was just fine. A nasty case of a stomach bug swept through their base a year ago, and she was the only one who didn’t get it. Two months later, she woke up with a stuffy nose and ended the day in the medical wing with half a dozen machines hooked up to her. One dangerously high fever, dehydration, trouble breathing, the beginnings of pneumonia—and wasn’t that _so_ _fun_ —and almost three weeks of bed rest later, she was _this_ close to never being let outside again.

This illness, depending on the state of her body’s immune system, could either pass her by or kill her in a day.

“We’ll figure something out,” he promised her.

• • •

The rest of the crew never returned. It wasn’t until the next morning that a text came in from one of them, explaining they’d decided not to risk returning to the ship. Monarch contacted both groups and explained the plan they’d come up with.

Two different groups would come to retrieve all of them within twenty-four hours. Those who’d ventured into the city would be subjected to the same quarantine conditions as anyone else within the organization who might be at risk. The Porters would be escorted to an off-base apartment freshly stocked with supplies meant to last them a while.

Maddie wouldn’t be going with either group. Apparently, her dad had arranged something else for her. No one knew anything else, or if they did, they weren’t telling her.

That night, he called her.

“Thing is, Maddie,” he said quietly as she rubbed her eyes. “We can sterilize everything as much as we want, but this thing is persistent, and it would only take one slip up. We can’t predict how your immune system would react to this. I refuse to take chances. Not when there’s another option.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I want you to go away for a while, until everything calms down. Be safe and as far from catching this as you can.” Her dad’s voice softened. “You’ve grown up a lot these past few years, Maddie, but you’re still my little girl, okay? And I can’t take care of you right now.”

The boat shifted suddenly, just a little. Maddie climbed the steps out of the living quarters to the main level.

“But, much as it pains me to admit it,” he continued with a little chuckle, “there’s someone else able and willing to do it instead.”

Bright, fiery eyes stared at Maddie through the darkness beside the boat. Leaning against the railing, Maddie reached out with her free hand and pressed her palm to the end of Godzilla’s snout. He rumbled, eyes half closing in what had long since become his happy reaction to seeing her again.

Maddie smiled and said, “Bet it hurt to ask him, huh?”

The years had done a lot to soften Mark Russell’s grumblings about Maddie hanging out with Godzilla, and these days, it was more for show than anything. Still, she guessed most dads would find it difficult to admit they couldn’t protect their child, even when it was an enemy like this.

“My pride is truly wounded,” her dad deadpanned. “In all honesty, I’d do it a thousand times if it meant keeping you safe. Animals can’t catch it, Maddie.”

Godzilla gently nudged the boat again before dipping his head forward.

“Gimme a minute, G,” Maddie said with a little pat to his scales. She darted off.

“You don’t have to worry about packing anything,” her dad interrupted her racing thoughts. “He’s got stuff for you, and we took the steps necessary to keep any of it from getting contaminated. There’s one of Monarch’s communicators with it all, so we’ll be able to keep in touch, okay?”

“Okay. Dad—”

“Don’t worry about me, kid. Just—I love you, Maddie.”

Pausing with a pair of granola bars in her hand, she took a deep breath. “I love you too, Dad. Stay safe, please.”

After they hung up, Maddie finished throwing together a makeshift breakfast—and left a note for the Porters while she was at it—went to the bathroom, and pulled her insulated raincoat on over her t-shirt and sweats. Carrying only the waterproof bag, she returned to the deck and climbed over the railing. A short hop had her scrambling up onto Godzilla’s head.

She twisted around to watch the faint lights of civilization disappear behind them as he swam away. It might be a while before she saw them again.

• • •

It was nearing midday when they reached their destination after an uneventful trip. Maddie smiled as the island grew closer. She should’ve guessed this was where he’d want to go, but she hadn’t really thought about it.

Godzilla had brought her to Wonderland.

It was a beautiful island, and as far as Maddie had ever been able to tell, it was perfectly circular. She had wondered before whether any human before her had set foot on it. The island was one of several scattered around the world that were, in all ways, _made_ for Titans.

And Maddie called it Wonderland because she had never felt more like Alice than when she stood at the base of a flower—a _tulip_ —as tall as a small skyscraper. The stems were as wide around as tree trunks, and if that wasn’t Wonderland material, she didn’t know what was.

Godzilla swam right up to the sandy shore for her, dropping a bundle of wrapped supplies while he was at it. She picked through the selection and had to take a deep, calming breath as it really hit here that she might be out here for a while. While camping with Godzilla and whoever else was stopping by the island—usually Mothra—was a lot of fun, and definitely something she always looked forward to, that didn’t mean she wanted to be away from home for so long.

She probably had a lot of worrying over her dad to look forward to. She frowned.

As Godzilla stood and started towards the grassy path leading to the center of Wonderland, where a massive lake with underground tunnels connecting it to the ocean lay, he rumbled down at her.

“I’m fine, G. Just, sucks that I can’t do anything. It almost feels unfair, that I can be here,” she waved her arm at the edge of the field of massive flowers, “while my dad and everyone else is stuck locking themselves away inside.” Maddie stood up with a stack of small plastic bins.

He tilted a look at the remaining supplies as she trotted up the beach to join him.

“Nah, I got it. You carried it all the way here, anyway. But thanks.”

With a snuffly-snort, he gave a full-body shake. Excess water went flying.

Maddie laughed. “Nice wet dog impression there.”

He grumbled good-naturedly, moving slowly so she didn’t get left behind. It’d taken time and practice, but these days, his earth-shaking footsteps didn’t throw off her balance anymore. At the center of Wonderland, just a stone’s throw away from the lake, was Maddie’s campsite. A few sheets of bark from a Titan-sized tree made the walls and roof, while a layer of leaves and long grass formed a cushy floor.

There were a few things inside that she never bothered taking with her when she left, since she’d be back sooner or later anyway. Godzilla laid down along the curve of the lake, which was also perfectly circular, while she set the bins down.

Considering he swam halfway across the world and back in probably under twenty-four hours just to pick her up and bring her here, he deserved the nap. Humming quietly to herself, Maddie made the handful of trips necessary to transfer her belongings inland from the beach.

Once she was done, she dragged her beanbag—one of her only pieces of actual furniture—out of the shelter. After plumping it up, she fell back into it with a sigh. From one of the bins, she dug out a package of trail mix—M&Ms with obstacles, more like—and enjoyed the deep, rhythmic sound of Godzilla’s breathing.

• • •

The sun was just beginning to set when Maddie stood and stretched. Though the research vessel she’d been on for the past few weeks had been a decent size, it’d been a while since she’d been able to truly walk around—especially without having to worry about keeping her footing.

Godzilla lazily opened one eye as she started to wander off. Apparently deciding nothing was wrong, he gave a brief rumble, shifted a little, and went back to dozing.

With the ease of having done it many times before, Maddie scaled a flower stem at the edge of the field, which wrapped around at least three quarters of the island. They varied in size, often depending on type, but the smallest of them were still impressively massive to a human like her.

Walking under them was just like walking through a normal forest.

Hopping from one to the next, she tried to find one significantly taller than the rest. They moved minimally beneath her feet, reminding her of the time she’d wandered around a bog. The floating islands of grass had been plenty sturdy and strong, but it was still a unique sensation, feeling the ground flex and dip beneath your weight like that.

There. A sunflower.

Maddie didn’t even need to climb to the top to spot what she’d wanted to look for. Not too far away, Mothra was curled up on a flower about as wide across as a tennis court or two were long. Those ones, which seemed to be her favorite, didn’t exist in a smaller form.

Maddie knew, because she’d checked and been justifiably disappointed by the results.

Everything about the view in front of her was a nature photographers _dream_. A sea of impossibly diverse flowers, blooming in every color imaginable, waved gently in the ocean breeze against a fiery sunset backdrop. Golden light cast a glow around Mothra and shone prismatically through her wings as they fluttered slightly.

Maddie remained where she was for a minute, propped against the sunflower stem, just to commit the scene to memory. She was almost loathe to disrupt the peace, but she knew Mothra wouldn’t mind. Actually, neglecting to go and say hello would bother her more than anything.

After jumping down, Maddie set off over the flowers. Since they varied in height, she attempted to keep to the taller ones as much as she could, not just to avoid getting turned around, but because it was always easier to hop down than climb up.

Mothra chirped when she noticed her approaching. Maddie waved back.

“Sounds like you guys are gonna be stuck with me for a while,” she said as she finally joined Mothra on her flower. The two of them had probably known about the illness before she did, all things considered. At the very least, Mothra didn’t look surprised to see her.

She trilled happily, reaching out with a forelimb to nudge Maddie.

“It’s good to see you too, I just wish it was under better circumstances.” She sat down beside Mothra’s head, facing way she’d come. Godzilla’s spines were just barely visible over the tops of the massive flowers. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Mothra nodded silently. She screeched softly, liltingly. A question.

“It was good! I’m really glad I went. We all worked well together, though I do miss being home. We spent a long time out there.” She thought about their research, the camaraderie, all of it. “I’ll go on another if I get the chance.”

The breeze picked up her hair, longer than she usually let it get. Maddie smiled and tilted her head back. It felt good, knowing there was solid ground beneath her again.

“So. Did you guys miss me?” she asked cheekily.

Stretching her wings out, Mothra laughed. It was songlike, much different from Godzilla’s rumbling chuckles. She gestured with her leg in his direction with a fond shake of her head.

“Aww,” she said. “Did he sulk about it?” She’d had to make him promise not to come visit her during the trip because Monarch was worried his presence would throw off their results. Maddie hadn’t thought he’d miss her _that_ much, though. She smiled to herself.

Mothra shifted to press her head against Maddie’s side with a pleased little sigh. They’d have to head toward the lake soon, before it got too dark for Maddie’s human sight, but for now, she leaned back and closed her eyes.

• • • 

For a late dinner, Maddie heated a pot of soup over her campfire, something she’d gotten pretty good at over time. Just as she finished, Mothra, who had been perched on Godzilla since their return, fluttered off to settle on the lake’s beach directly across from him, so they were face to face.

Maddie laughed when he huffed a breath in Mothra’s face, ruffling her antennae and neck fluff. She reached out with one of her forelimbs and batted his snout.

They kept up the lazy tussle—and it couldn’t get much lazier when neither of them was willing to move from their spots—until Maddie walked over with her food in hand. She sat down and leaned back against Mothra, careful not to spill her bowl of soup. A packet of crackers and a water bottle found a place on the ground beside her.

Godzilla grumbled, but no matter how much he pouted about it, her choice had nothing to do with favoritism and everything to do with how soft Mothra was. She resisted the urge to reassure him he was still her favorite. It was funnier this way.

Mothra—who was smart enough to know Maddie’s reasoning—smugly puffed up her already-fluffy fluff, and Maddie could only sigh and relax with the _slightest_ of eye rolls.

• • •

Maddie had been in Wonderland for two weeks when the news came: the source of the illness had finally been found.

“It was those black market dealers,” her dad told her. “The ones who take anything they can classify as ‘Titan’ and sell it to the highest bidders. Some hacks with a lab in their basement thought that made them experts, so while they were busy playing around with Titan blood, they managed to get a disease out of it.”

“Is that why it’s so hard to treat?” Maddie asked.

“Yep. Somehow, the whole mutating nature of it doesn’t seem so strange, once you consider where it came from. Most of the explanation went over my head, but there was something about the consequences of the blood having been soaked in radiation.”

Maddie shook her head. “So, does knowing the source help with finding a cure?”

“Apparently, yes. Like I said, not my area of expertise, but the people who did understand the whole report were pretty excited.” She could hear his smile. “There may be an end in sight.”

Though she’d miss the relaxed, not-quite-isolation of being in Wonderland with her two favorite Titans, she was still excited to relay the news to them that night.

Godzilla made a mock-mournful noise that was tinted with humor. He was glad for her sake, and the rest of humankind’s, that the nightmare would finally be over. Didn’t stop him from being a tiny bit of a baby about knowing Maddie would have to leave soon.

“You’re worse than a kid whose friend has to leave after a sleepover,” she told him. The stars were bright overhead and the lake was still warm around her. Maddie had fallen in love with swimming at night long ago and took every opportunity to do so. “You know I can come back and visit whenever, right?”

Belly-down in the shallows, he dramatically turned his head away from her with a wounded snort. Mothra didn’t bother hiding her laugh.

“I used to think you were, like, adult-ish. But now…” Maddie quickly pushed herself underwater to avoid being splashed by Godzilla’s tail, which had quickly raised in response to her taunt. She wasn’t able to stay submerged for long, though, because laughter wasn’t conducive to holding one’s breath.

A small wave crashed over her as soon as she resurfaced, which definitely didn’t help.

Once she stopped choking—more on her giggles than water—she called over to Mothra, “What do you think, my dad would probably be happy to get rid of those shared custody papers, since G’s _clearly_ not up to the parenting thing—”

There were probably a lot of people in the world who would be completely aghast at her for taunting and teasing and ultimately _provoking_ a Titan—even after so long, her dad was occasionally one of them—but how could she _ever_ be scared of _Godzilla?_

He roared and, with agility that was never _not_ surprising, raised himself up just enough to dive off the sand and head straight for her.

Maddie screamed with laughter as he got his nose under her just enough to catapult her a short distance through the air. It was never much of a tussle between the two of them, for obvious size-related reasons, but sometimes it was plain old fun to be tossed around like that.

Godzilla would sooner shoot himself in the foot with his radiation than do something that would hurt her, and she knew and understood that with more certainty than she did most things in the world.

It cheered him up, too, to play around like this. Sad wasn’t quite the right word for it, but he was always _something_ to see her go, and even though they still had time before she could return home, the reminder was there.

As she futilely tried to swim away from his next “attack,” Maddie knew they’d make the most of the rest of her time here, and it wasn’t like she’d never come back. She camped in Wonderland all the time. There didn’t need to be some big bad worldwide illness going around for her to want to be here.

“G!” she hollered the next time he sent her flying.

Mothra was laughing from the beach, Godzilla was emitting a constant happy rumble, and Maddie couldn’t have imagined a better place to quarantine herself from the rest of the world.

(No offense to her dad, of course.)

**Author's Note:**

> This felt like a good place to end it, so just imagine everything gets better and stuff. I mostly put this story in this verse for funsies and because the idea worked with the AU’s whole concept. 
> 
> hope y’all are doing well, remember that i think you guys are the bee’s knees ❤️, and here’s [my tumblr](https://star-going-supernova.tumblr.com)


End file.
